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Let me assure you, darlings, I have not, nor ever will, become one of those Vicious Opera Queens! However, I now have a new role to aspire to--the child Mimsey, in the dream sequence of "Peter Ibbetson," written by Deems Taylor, and Constance Collier!
And it all started with "Petticoat Junction!!!!!!"
You recall my mentioning, just the other day, before my DAD (Dental Anxiety Disorder, which I survived--this time!!!!!!!!!) set in, I was waxing about how perfectly awful the CD "The Girls Of 'Petticoat Junction'---Sixties Sounds" was. I have not changed my opinion about that one, but, as my thoughts turned away from the album, I thought how the show had changed over the years--how, after Bea Benadaret, who played Kate, who ran the Shady Rest, passed away, she was replaced by TV Veteran June Lockhart, as Dr. Janet Craig, back in 1968. Not only did Edgar Buchanan, who had been playing Uncle Joe, get elevated to top billing, over a veteran like Lockhart, the lyrics to the theme song were changed. A portion originally went--"There's a little hotel, called the Shady Rest, at the junction.
Petticoat Junction.
It is run by Kate, come and be her guest, at the junction.
Petticoat Junction.
And that's Uncle Joe, he's a'movin' kinda slow, at the junction.
Peeeeeeeeeeeeeettttiicoat Junction!"
When June Lockhart came on, as Dr. Janet Craig, it was changed to--
"There's a little hotel, called the Shady Rest, at the junction.
Petticoat Junction.
It is run by Joe, come and be his guest, at the junction.
Petticoat Junction.
Here's a lady MD, she's as pretty as can be, at the junction.
Peeeeeeeeeeeettttttttttticoat Junction!"
June had been a veteran for a long time. In addition to the one and only mother on "Lassie"
(with the one and only John Provost, as Timmy), she was the mother on "Lost In Space," which, also, of course, starred Angela Cartwright, as Penny. But don't forget, ten years before "Lassie," she was in one of the most beloved, classic films of all time--"Meet Me In St. Louis," back in 1944. She played potential rival, Lucille Ballard, who, with that June Lockhart voice, could not help being anything but a sweetheart. Though, check her out, in the 1946 B movie thriller, "She Wolf Of London."
June's father, was, of course, character Gene Lockhart. His wife, Katherine, had been an actress, too, and they both started on the New York stage. Which, sometime in the Thirties, is where little June got hers, playing the role of Mimsey, the child, in the dream sequence of "Peter Ibbetson" at the Met!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A dream child! Perfect for me! Listen, you nasty queens, if I can do Fantine, I can do Mimsey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But now we come to "Alice In Wonderland," darlings! Is Mimsey, described above, the same as "mimsy in the borogoves?" Not only is the spelling is different, but here, the word is used as an adjective, not a noun! How can a person be an adjective!
You know how the song goes, girls! It's from Disney's "Alice In Wonderland," my favorite of all his animated films. They took Lewis Carroll's classic poem, "Jabberwocky," and set it to music--
""Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe.
All mimsy were the borogoves.
And the mome raths outgrabe!"
And what on earth is a mome rath? And what does outgrabe mean?
What is the secret of Mimsey/mimsy, anyhow??????????????????????
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